The map above shows air temperatures across the Southwest on July 25, 2023. The map was produced by combining satellite observations with temperatures predicted by a version of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model, which uses mathematical equations to represent physical processes in the atmosphere. Credits: NASA
According to scientists at NASA’s
Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, July 2023 was hotter
than any other month in the global temperature record.
“Since day one, President Biden has
treated the climate crisis as the existential threat of our time,” said Ali
Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor.” Against the backdrop of record
high temperatures, wildfires, and floods, NASA’s analysis puts into context the
urgency of President Biden’s unprecedented climate leadership. From securing
the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history, to invoking
the Defense Production Act to supercharge domestic clean energy manufacturing,
to strengthening climate resilience in communities nationwide, President Biden
is delivering on the most ambitious climate agenda in history.”
Overall, July 2023 was 0.43 F (0.24
C) warmer than any other July in NASA’s record, and it was 2.1 F (1.18 C)
warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980. The primary focus of
the GISS analysis are long-term temperature changes over many
decades and centuries, and a fixed base period yields anomalies that are
consistent over time. Temperature "normals" are defined by several
decades or more - typically 30 years.
“NASA data confirms what billions
around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest
month on record. In every corner of the country, Americans are right now
experiencing firsthand the effects of the climate crisis, underscoring the
urgency of President Biden’s historic climate agenda,” said NASA Administrator
Bill Nelson. “The science is clear. We must act now to protect our communities
and planet; it’s the only one we have.”
Credits: NASA
Parts of South
America, North Africa, North America, and the Antarctic Peninsula were
especially hot, experiencing temperatures increases around 7.2 F (4 C) above
average. Overall, extreme heat this summer put tens of millions of people
under heat warnings and was linked to hundreds of heat-related illnesses and deaths.
The record-breaking July continues a long-term trend of human-driven warming
driven primarily by greenhouse gas emissions that has become evident over the
past four decades. According to NASA data, the five hottest Julys since 1880
have all happened in the past five years.
“Climate change is impacting people and
ecosystems around the world, and we expect many of these impacts to escalate
with continued warming,” said Katherine Calvin, chief scientist and senior
climate advisor at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our agency observes
climate change, its impacts, and its drivers, like greenhouse gases, and we are
committed providing this information to help people plan for the future.”
NASA assembles its temperature record from
surface air temperature data from tens of thousands of metrological stations,
as well as sea surface temperature data acquired by ship- and buoy-based
instruments. This raw data is analyzed using methods that account for the
varied spacing of temperature stations around the globe and for urban heating
effects that could skew the calculations.
“This July was not just warmer than any
previous July – it was the warmest month in our record, which goes back to
1880,” said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. “The science is clear this isn’t
normal. Alarming warming around the world is driven primarily by human-caused
greenhouse gas emissions. And that rise in average temperatures is fueling
dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and
worldwide.”
High sea surface temperatures contributed
to July’s record warmth. NASA’s analysis shows especially warm ocean
temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific, evidence of the El Niño that
began developing in May 2023. Phenomena such as El Niño or La Niña, which warm
or cool the tropical Pacific Ocean, can contribute a small amount of
year-to-year variability in global temperatures. But these contributions are
not typically felt when El Niño starts developing in Northern Hemisphere
summer. NASA expects to see the biggest impacts of El Niño in February, March,
and April 2024.
For more information on NASA’s global temperature record, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/2023/climate-media-resources
Source: NASA Clocks July 2023 as Hottest Month on Record Ever Since 1880 | NASA
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